Stirring device



March 159, 1946. H. A. vER RuGGE STIRRING' DEVICE Filed July 12, 1944INVENTOR.

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flTTOlP/VEYS Patented Mar. 19, 1946 i 2,396,975- s'rnmme DEVICE Henry A.Verbrugge, Great Neck, N. Y. Application July .12, 1944, Serial No.544,613

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 259-144) The present invention relates to stirringdevices for mixing fluids such as'drinks, in glasses or the like.

It is the customary practice in mixing certain kinds of drinks to use aspoon, usually that type which is known as a bar spoon. With'certaindrinks, particularly those which are stirred in tall, narrow glassesafter ice has been included, it is necessary by reason of theconfiguration of such glasses to manipulate the spoon in a certainmanner to properly ice the drinks. According to best practice, this isdone by holding the tip of the spoon in one spot on the bottom of theglass and then dexterously twisting the handle thereof to make the spoonrotate about itslower end. This is an operation which requires skillfulmanipulation of the spoon in order to produce the best results andcannot be done properly by the ordinary person. The art has endeavoredto facilitate the operation by providing on the handles of spoons ofthis type, elongated spiral threads or grooves, but while the latterhave accomplished their purposes to some extent, the operation stillrequires more than the ordinary skill.

It is the principal purpose of the present invention to provide a mixindevice which will enable an ordinary person to accomplish'theabove-mentioned operation easily and properly. More specifically, it isthe object of this invention to provide an improved bar spoon which isextremely simple in construction and which is moreover highly efilcientin operation even when used by a person having little skill.

A better understandin of the invention will be had from a perusal of thefollowing description when read in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section,of a bar spoon embodying the invention and Fig. 2 is a side elevationalview of the spoon illustratin one method of manipulating the spoon.

In the drawing, the reference character A designates the handle of thearticle which is provided at its lower end with a conventional bowlportion B or any other suitably formed implement. The implement B ispermanently secured to the handle A in any suitable manner or integrallyformed therewith. On the opposite or upper end of the handle A is anenlarged portion C in the form of a cap or knob which is secured to theshaft A in any suitable manner. Intermediate the implement B and cap Cis a cylindrically-shaped flange or member D which may either be securedto thehandle A or formed integrally therewith, as illustrated.

termediate the cap C and member D. The several parts mentioned may beformed of metal or of other suitable material or of combinations ofmaterial. Thus, the parts A, B and E may be made of metal, while parts Cand D may be made of wood, suitably finished.

From the foregoing, it will-be understood that after the constituents ofa drink have been de-' posited in a glass, they may be properly mixed byinserting the spoon into the glass until th tip of the implement B restson the bottom F of the A sleeve E is revolvably mounted on shaft Ainglass (see Fig. 2) and then while maintaining the implement in contactwith such bottom F, twirlin the same. This operation is readilyaccomplished by the user firmly grasping the rotatable sleeve E somewhatin the manner indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and then causing thesecond and third fingers to impart a rotary movement to the handle aboutthe said point of contact. When the spoon is thus manipulated, theliquid is caused to rotate around the'point of contact of the spoon, theice being violently intermingled with the liquid by the portion of thehandle intermediate the member D and implement B thus causing theseveral ingredients to be thoroughly mixed and at the same time iced.Durin this operation, it will be noted that the sleeve E does not moverelative to the fingers while the handle A, implement B, knob C andsleeve bearing D revolve relative to the sleeve.

The device may also be used as an ordinary spoon by the user graspin thehandle in the region of the sleeve E so that the little finger is curledabout the knob C or so that the latter is engaged by the palm of thehand. With the cap or knob C fixed against rotation, the handle A andconsequently the implement B will be prevented from rotating relative tothe sleeve E and the device can readily be used in the ordinary mannerto deposit ingredients into the glass.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the device ofthe invention can be used both as an ordinary spoon and a stirrer whichis readily adaptable to the stirring of liquids in accordance withapproved practice without the need for the degree of skill which isrequired to successfully use the bar spoons now employed. It will bapparent also that the device is extremely simple in structure and maybe manufactured at relatively low cost. The construction of the devicealso enables it to be produced in various forms and color combinationsof novel and pleasing appearance.

I claim:

1. A bar spoon comprising an elongated handle provided with a bowl atone end and a gripping knob at its other end, both said bowl andgripping knob being fixed to said handle and said bowl being disposed asa Whole at an angle to said handle and having at its outer end a contactsurface ofiset from the longitudinal axis of said handle, a bearingmember secured to said handle intermediate its ends and closer to saidbowl than said gripping knob, and an elongated gripping memberrevolvably mounted on said handle intermediate said bearing member andgripping knob and being confined against substantial movementlongitudinally of the handle by said bearin member and knob.

2. A stirring device for liquid in a glass comprising an elongatedstraight handle, an implement secured to the lower end of said handle,said implement being disposed as a whole at an angle to said handle andhaving a glass bottom engaging portion offset from the longitudinal axisof said handle, a knob secured to the upper end' of said handle, abearing member secured to: said handle intermediate its ends and spacedi'romsaid implement, and a gripping member mounted on said handleintermediate said knob and bearing member, said gripping member beingrevolvably mounted on said handle so that when: gripped by a user thedevice as a whole, may be rotated about said ofiset glass engagingportion with said handle an implement rotating relative to said grippinmember, said knob being adjacent to the upper end of said grippingmember and having a greater cross-sectional area than the latter torender it readily adaptable to be engaged by the hand to revent movementof said handle and implement relative to said gripping member.

3. A stirring device for liquids comprising an elongated. handle, animplement secured to the lower end of said handle and. having at itslower end a container bottom engaging portion offset from thelongitudinal axis of said handle and about which said handle andimplement are rotat'ed' in the use of the device, a gripping memberrevolvably mounted on said handle and adapted to be gripped by the userto rotate said handle and implement about said engaging portion with thelatter in contact with the bottom of the container for the liquid, and abearin surface on said handle intermediate said gripping member andimplement and substantially spaced irom the lat ter, said surface beingengagable by said gripping member and the latter bearing thereagainstduring the said rotative movements of said handle and implement.

HENRY A. VERBRUGGE.

